


small town saturday night

by shoelaces



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: M/M, Minor Character Death, Murder Mystery, Soulmate AU, but also fake relationship memori, characters will be added as they are introduced, past John Murphy/Emori - Freeform, this ship makes sense in my head i SWEAR, what...have i done
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-09
Updated: 2018-12-28
Packaged: 2019-07-28 18:18:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16247195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shoelaces/pseuds/shoelaces
Summary: Murphy's life plan:- Graduate (doable)- Get away with no more grief counselling (tough)- Avoid being dragged into a murder investigation (surprisingly difficult)- Do not tell Monty he's your soulmate (already doomed)Everyone's keeping secrets in the tiny town of Arkadia. When a shock death turns people against each other, Murphy finds himself working to solve the mystery with Monty, the one person who his secret would destroy. And the prime suspect in a murder.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> i really did it...i wrote the thing. big shoutout to everyone who said they would actually read this (i write for a...niche corner of this fandom) and especially brain and johann for talking through this whole universe with me many many times. you guys are basically co-authors at this point!

“It’s not me, is it?” Emori is perched on Murphy’s desk, her feet resting on the chair. “John.”

 

Murphy tears his gaze away from the soulmark on his arm. There’s no point lying to her now. “It’s not you,” he says quietly. “Uh, I don’t-” This is horrible. It’s his 18th birthday, and he’s sat with Emori in his bedroom. She’s still 17, just coming out of her junior year, and this really had not been how he’d planned the day panning out. 

 

It was supposed to be Emori’s name on his wrist.

 

It was supposed to be that easy.

 

“Well, who is it?” Emori’s pretending not to be upset. Her act might work on other people, but Murphy knows her far too well. “You have to tell me. Like, ethically speaking.”

 

Murphy wordlessly holds his arm out.

 

“Oh. Fuck me.” Emori stares at the name. “I wasn’t expecting that. I mean, I obviously thought-”

 

“Emori,” Murphy says. “Don’t.”

 

“Should I go?” Emori asks. “What does this mean? For us.”

 

“Nothing has to change!” Murphy says, maybe a little too defensively. “Look, it’s definitely not mutual. His birthday was months ago! We can still-”

 

“John, that’s not fair. What about my soulmate? And you haven’t even spoken to him!”

 

“He has zero reason to like me,” Murphy snaps. “If we’re soulmates, he’s probably devastated.”

 

“Oh, stop with the pity party!” Emori jumps to her feet. “God, can you just stop assuming the worst of everyone?”

 

“Emori-”

 

“I’m sorry,” she says, looking regretful. “That was harsh. But you should talk to him.”

 

“You can stay-”

 

“I just need a bit of time.” She turns back towards him, and her eyes are suspiciously shiny. She’s going to cry. “Monty is nice. Find him at the party or something. He’s your soulmate for a reason.” Then she’s out of his bedroom door and hurrying down the stairs. The front door clicks shut a moment later, and he’s left sitting on his bed with his heart racing in his chest and the name  _ Monty Green _ in neat print on his wrist.

 

Monty fucking Green.

 

He barely knows him. They have mutual friends, and he’s sat at the same table as Monty a few times in high school, but they’ve never really had a meaningful conversation. He can’t think of anything they have in common. Monty is the kind of person who teachers called ‘a delight to have in class’ and Murphy is the kind of person who sat at the back and contested every point just for the sake of it.

 

There’s only one time they’ve been together without the rest of the group that he can recall, and it’s not the happiest of memories. He remembers being 15 and getting referred back to the shitty grief counselling group after fighting with Atom in the hallway. He hadn’t actually known it was Father’s Day (it’s not like being an orphan stung any less the other 364 days of the year) but according to the school, this was grounds for going back to that hell group. 

 

This time, he recognised someone else there. Monty, just like Murphy, said nothing throughout the sessions other than his own name and a brief outline of his own father’s death as if it hadn’t been the front page in Arkadia’s news all week. He had just sat there watching everyone else tearfully vent. When it got too corny, he would briefly glance at Murphy with the tiniest raise of his eyebrows in what had to be an acknowledgement of how little both of them wanted to be there.

 

So he supposes that’s one thing they have in common. Dead fathers and a disdain for talking therapy. Not exactly fantastic foundations to build a relationship on, but it’s not like he’s planning to anyway.

 

According to his Facebook, Monty’s birthday was a little under a month ago. He hasn’t made any posts about his soulmate, either of the irritating “i don’t know them ;(“ variety or the even more irritating “i love them so much!!” variety. 

 

Before he can delve too deep into Monty’s online presence, there’s a light knock on his bedroom door and Indra comes in. “Emori left pretty quickly,” she says. “It wasn’t what you were hoping for.” She doesn’t say it like a question, because Indra doesn’t deal in questions. She may not be his real mom, but apparently powerful mom senses still work on your foster children.

 

“Not exactly,” he says dryly, and she sits down on his chair. She gestures slightly at his arm, and he holds it out and says “Monty Green.”

 

She nods, and he thinks she’s smiling a little bit. “I went to his father’s funeral.”

 

“Are you suggesting that as a conversation starter? It’s terrible.”

 

“I don’t think you have any ideas at all,” she says, and he doesn’t bother trying to pretend she’s wrong. “Are you going to talk to him or are you going to pretend to be seventeen forever?”

 

“His birthday was last month,” Murphy points out. “Why hasn’t he said anything if we’re soulmates?”

 

“You’ll only find out if you ask him,” Indra points out. “Is he going to the leaving party?”

 

“Yeah, he’ll be there. I don’t know why I’m going, though. I’m not even leaving town.”

 

She rolls her eyes. “Just go and have fun.”

 

“Right,” he says flatly. There’s four hours before he’s expected to show up at the Jaha household and however much he normally likes a party, people are going to ask about his soulmate. Emori won’t be there because she hasn’t graduated, which is a small blessing, but Monty will be around for sure. Then there’s the added fun that everyone is leaving for college the next day, and all his future holds is night classes at Arkadia Community College and failing to get jobs.

 

“John,” she says, her face softening. “I know you wanted it to be Emori, but it’s not fair on her or Monty to act like nothing happened.”

 

Murphy picks his phone back up and exits out of Monty’s profile. Indra takes this as a cue to leave, and he lies on his back in bed and wonders how the hell he’s ended up in this situation. It was probably stupid to imagine things would work out simply anyway, and he’d be with his high school girlfriend forever. That’s not how his life has gone so far. It stands to reason that his soulmate should be the boy who Bellamy once declared was “made of actual sunshine” after he spent a summer afternoon rescuing bees from the street with sugar water on a teaspoon.

 

He can’t see any place for himself in the life of someone like that.

 

\--

 

Murphy suspects that the scale and intensity of this party is down to someone taking control away from Wells, which would also explain why he was invited. Raven is the likely candidate for that- she seems to like him well enough whilst also generally running her friends lives. His presence here is likely a sympathy invite, but if he can get drunk and avoid questions and Monty then he’s okay with that.

 

It turns out more or less immediately that that won’t be possible. Clarke finds him in the crowd after about ten minutes and enthusiastically sings the whole of Happy Birthday to him (she seems to have started on the drinking early) whilst he grimaces at her. At the end, she smiles widely and says “So. Your soulmate?!” She has Bellamy's name on her wrist, which everyone except them had seen coming, and it's an epic fucking love story to most of the kids.

 

He sticks to his game plan. “I was born late at night,” he says smoothly. “Haven’t got the name yet.”

 

Clarke seems to accept this pretty easily. It’s not like Murphy has any reason to lie. Everyone is expecting it to be Emori anyway. She gives him a quick hug and disappears into a different group. He’s not sure how she’s constantly busy with something, but she lives her life on a mission.

 

If he’s going to get through this party, he needs to be drunker, he decides.

 

It turns out that this is the worst possible idea he could have had, because Monty is in the kitchen. He waits to feel something in his heart at the sight of his soulmate who he’s supposed to spend his life with, but there’s just a sudden aching feeling of loneliness.

 

“Hey, Murphy!” Jasper is also in the kitchen, pouring a drink that flows over the sides of his cup. “Isn’t today your birthday?”

 

Fuck’s sake. “Yeah. Happy birthday to me.”

 

“Yes indeedy!” Jasper replies. “Who’s the soulmate?” He’s weirdly keen.

 

Monty isn’t paying any heed to this conversation at all. He’s texting someone with one hand and sipping his drink from time to time. There’s no way he’s waiting to find out if his soulmate is mutual.

 

He doesn’t want to tell the truth and fall victim to patronising sympathy from Jasper and Monty of all people. “Emori,” he replies. “Just have to hope it’s mutual now.”

 

“That’s awesome!” Jasper seems way too excited, slapping Murphy on the back. Murphy braces himself for more embarrassment when Jasper groans and says “Okay, I drank too much way too quickly. Monty, let’s get some air.”

 

Monty hops off the counter and lets Jasper drag him out by the elbow without looking back. They’re gone in an instant, and Murphy is alone in the kitchen thinking about how badly he’s fucked this one up. Emori knows the truth, and was hurt by it, and he’s dragged her into a lie anyway. At least Monty doesn’t have the burden of letting him down.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Jasper is a good friend, Monty's thoughts come to light, and someone meets their end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> two chapters today to get the ball rolling on the plot! after this, updates will be sporadic because the education system and having a social life is THOROUGHLY kicking my ass

Jasper drags Monty into the mercifully still empty garden, swerving around groups of other people. “Are you okay?” His eyes are very wide. “I’m so sorry, I really thought-”

 

“It’s fine,” Monty says, because it is. Okay, it stings a bit, but he’s the king of repressing things until they go away. “Honestly. Loads of people don’t have mutual soulmates.” That’s not strictly true, he knows for a fact that it’s around 1% of the population.

 

“It sucks, though!” Jasper wails. “Like, I have Maya, and I want  _ you _ to have someone, but stupid Murphy has stupid Emori!”

 

“We like Emori,” Monty reminds him. “And I guess Murphy has his moments. The universe thinks so, anyway. Why are you more upset about this than I am?”

 

Jasper pulls a face. “Why aren’t you more upset?”

 

“Other things to think about. Everyone’s off to college tomorrow except me.  _ That’s _ what sucks.”

 

Jasper looks regretful. “I wish you could come with me.”

 

“Mom needs me here,” Monty shrugs. “Community college can’t be that bad. And thanks for getting me out of there- that was super awkward- but I wanna go inside.”

 

“Wait!” Monty turns and sees Finn Collins of all people hurrying over to them. “Hey, Monty. Jasper.”

 

“Hi?” Monty replies, because he doesn’t want to be rude off the bat, but he really has no clue what Finn wants with him. 

 

“Monty, can I talk to you? Alone?” He looks sort of anxious.

 

Jasper narrows his eyes. “What do you want with Monty? Why can’t I come?”   
  


“I want to ask him about something.”

 

“Fine” Monty says, not feeling like arguing. “Jasper, go inside. I’ll find you in a minute.”

 

Jasper reluctantly disappears back inside the building, and Monty turns to Finn. “If you want me to try and get Raven back for you, it’s not happening.”

 

“It’s definitely not that,” Finn promises. “Can we sit in my car? I need to charge my phone.”

 

It’s a bit chilly, so Monty agrees easily enough and follows Finn out to his car in the street, settling into the passenger seat. Finn turns on the engine and plugs in his phone. It’s a weird situation. Monty has barely seen Finn outside class since the drama with Clarke and Raven, much less sat alone with him in his car at a party. He has no idea what Finn could possibly want.

 

“I think we’re in the same boat,” Finn says eventually.

 

“Um,” Monty replies. “What boat?”

 

“Our soulmates don’t love us,” Finn says, and Monty feels his heart drop. “I know yours is Murphy, and I’m pretty sure I heard him say his was Emori.”

 

“That’s true,” Monty says slowly. His heart is racing suddenly. “But my soulmate just isn’t mutual. Yours hates you because you cheated on her and then kept doing stupid shit and saying it was for Clarke.”

 

“Monty-”

 

“Stop,” Monty says. “Why do you want to talk to me about that?”

 

“I thought we could talk about it,” Finn replies. For some reason, there’s sweat on his forehead, and his hands are shaking a little. “Maybe we could help each other.” Then he reaches over and intertwines his fingers with Monty’s.

 

“I don’t want to,” Monty shrinks against the side of the car, snatching his hand back. He knows Finn isn’t going to hurt him, but there’s a creeping sense of dread in his chest. “I’m fine. I can deal with it myself.”

 

“You could use a friend in the same boat.” Finn thankfully doesn’t reach for him again, but he’s looking at him like he wants to.

 

“We’re not in the same boat!” Monty half shouts. “You had a soulmate and she had you, and you fucked it up! That’s not my problem!” His head is splitting all of a sudden. It’s hard to breathe in the small, warm car.

 

“Look, Monty-” Finn starts.

 

“I don’t feel well.” Monty mumbles. “I want to go now.” 

 

“I just-”

 

“Bye,” Monty says, and he opens the car door and stumbles out into the empty street. His legs are trembling and he feels awful. It doesn’t feel like a panic attack, he’s had enough to recognise that feeling. No one could have spiked his drink either, he poured it himself and it had only left his sight once, guarded by Jasper, who takes looking after drinks more seriously than he ever took his actual jobs.

 

He makes it over to the sidewalk and throws up violently into the grass. The pain in his head and the shaking start to ease a little. Finn stays sitting in his car, never coming over to check on him. As much as he wants to avoid this conversation, he wishes he wasn’t by himself right now.

 

And then suddenly, he’s not.  Murphy has appeared out of nowhere, and is by his side before Monty’s brain can catch up. “You okay?” He asks, as Monty gracefully throws up in the grass again. “Too much to drink?”

 

“I had one drink,” Monty says weakly. “I think I’m allergic to Finn.”

 

Murphy snorts. “I saw you getting into his car. Thought you might be his latest conquest.”

 

Weird words to hear from your soulmate. “Why do you care?”

 

“I just don’t think cheating assholes are really your type. None of my business, though. What did he actually want?”

 

“Also none of your business,” Monty replies, wiping his mouth with a crumpled tissue from his pocket. “Not a fun conversation.”

 

“He didn’t hurt you, did he?” Murphy’s face changes suddenly to something that looks a bit like concern or maybe anger. Monty wonders if he should add hallucinations to his list of symptoms.

 

“No,” Monty replies. “Just upset me a bit.”

 

“Oh,” Murphy just looks awkward now. “Sorry.” 

 

He’s feeling a tiny bit better so he shuffles over to sit on the curb. It had been boiling hot in that car. To his surprise, Murphy sits down next to him. “You can go back to the party,” he says. “I’m okay. I can walk home from here.” His soulmate who has someone else is probably the last person he wants to be talking to right now.

 

“I don’t feel like partying,” Murphy admits. “I’m not even moving tomorrow. I’m not going to college.”

 

“Me neither,” Monty tells him, and briefly enjoys the look of surprise on his face. “Or I’m taking night classes in town, anyway.”

 

“Aren’t you some kind of mega genius? I thought everywhere would want you.”

 

“Oh, they do,” Monty says, smiling a little. “But my mom never really got over losing my dad and i can’t leave her here by herself. She needs me nearby.”

 

“That sucks,” Murphy says simply.

 

“Yeah.”

 

They sit in silence for a minute. Monty can’t quite get over the fact that he’s sitting on the curb outside a Jaha party with his soulmate, talking about college. Murphy’s not that bad, it seems. He’s been nice enough to him whilst he throws up and seems sympathetic.

 

Plus, pretty much everyone he knows is moving away tomorrow afternoon, so he supposes he can’t pick and choose who he gets along with.

 

“I think I’m gonna head off,” he tells Murphy. He feels almost completely fine now, just a slight discomfort in his stomach reminding him of illness. “If you see Jasper, tell him I got ill and went home.”

 

“I’ll drive you,” Murphy says. He says it like he’s irritated he has to do it, but his face is sincere enough. “If you pass out and die in the street, your friends will skin me.”

 

Monty has seriously had enough of hanging out with his soulmate, but it’s a longer walk home than he feels up to doing, so he just mumbles a thank you and trails after Murphy.

 

“Sorry it’s such an awful ride,” Murphy says, unlocking the car. “This belonged to my dad.” 

 

Monty doesn’t say that he can tell that it’s clear that no one had bought the car in this decade, or possibly the last. It’s a scrappy blue car with a scratched up side and foam coming out of the seats. “I think this car is older than me,” he says instead. He kind of loves it.

 

“Probably,” Murphy replies. “Don’t open your window, it gets stuck. Some of the radio buttons are stuck too, but if you want music, you can pick something.”

 

The car makes such a loud spluttering noise as the engine starts that Monty half leaps out of his seat and nearly hits the definitely way too low roof. Murphy snickers, but doesn’t say anything as he pulls out of the drive.

 

The seats that barely classify as seats are actually quite comfortable, so Monty curls up with his head against the window. “Do you need my address?”

 

“You live right next to that wacky mural with the two suns, right? I think Miller pointed it out once. That’s all the direction I need. Plus the sat nav doesn’t work either.”

 

“Thanks for driving me,” Monty says. “I’m having a rough night.”

 

“S’fine. I was looking for an excuse to leave anyway.”

 

They don’t talk after that. Monty feels bone tired, and Murphy doesn’t make any efforts. When Murphy finally parks outside Monty’s house (with a series of terrifying screeching noises), he climbs out of the car with one more thank you, and hurries into his house. His mom has gone to bed already, and for once he can’t be bothered to tidy up the stuff she’s left on the table, so he just crawls up the stairs and falls into bed.

 

\--

 

His alarm blares the next morning way too early for the kind of night he had, and he fumbles for his phone to turn it off. Through bleary eyes, he realises he has hundreds of missed calls and texts. That’s what he gets for leaving without telling anyone, he guesses. Jasper seems the best place to start.

 

**Jasper**

_ dude did finn fuckin kidnap you _

_ srsly where are you _

_ Monty _

_ Montyyyyyyyy _

_ Mooooooooontyyyyyy _

_ Fuck _

_ Missed call from Jasper _

_ Missed call from Jasper _

_ Missed call from Jasper _

_ Monty please pick up _

_ There are ambulances outside _

_ And police _

 

Monty sits up. What the fuck?

 

_ You better not be involved in this _

_ Can you please pick up _

_ Missed call from Jasper _

 

Jasper has been calling him all night. Something bad has happened. He switches over to see Bellamy’s texts from an hour later.

 

**Bellamy**

_ Hey Monty _

_ I didn’t want to tell you over text but Finn died _

_ In his car at the party _

_ And no one’s seen you since you went there with him _

_ Are you okay?? _

_ Everyone’s looking but I guess you just went home _

_ I hope you just went home _

_ Jasper’s a bit hysterical _

_ Can you please text someone back? _

_ I think the police want to talk to you _

 

Monty calls Jasper. 

 

He picks up on the first ring. “Oh, hi. Thank fuck.”

 

“Hi,” Monty manages. His voice is very scratchy. “I just saw all the texts.”

 

“We were so worried,” Jasper says. “No one’s picking up at your house.”

 

“My mom sleeps late, you know that. And I was completely out cold.”

 

“Finn is- well, you saw the texts.” Jasper sounds tense. “And you were with him, and then you were just gone.”

 

“I got sick,” Monty says. 

 

“Why didn’t you call me? Were you by yourself?”

 

“Murphy drove me home,” he admits. “How did Finn-”

 

“We don’t know yet. I’m just glad you’re okay. Wait. Murphy?!”

 

“Am I still helping you with boxes?” Monty asks in a vague attempt at distraction. “It’s the big day!”

 

“Not if you’re still sick! I want to see you though.” Jasper is reasonably easy to distract. Or he’s taking pity.

 

“I’m fine. I’ll come over soon.”

 

Jasper seems reluctant, but Monty ends the conversation quickly and hangs up. He sits in his bed in pyjamas, trying to process what the hell is going on. 

 

There only seems to be one option for piecing this together.

 

**New conversation with : Murphy**

 

**Monty**

_ hi _

_ sorry if this is weird _

_ i guess you know what happened last night? _

_ i think i need your help _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and we're go! thank you for reading, and please hit me with the feedback!
> 
> tumblr: ghostmontygreen


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you SO much to everyone actually reading this, i know it's not like...a big ship lmao but getting actual comments means the wholeass world to me. enjoy!

 

**New conversation with: Monty**

 

**Monty**

_ hi _

_ sorry if this is weird _

_ i guess you know what happened last night? _

_ i think i need your help _

 

Murphy frowns at his phone as he reads the texts. He knows the basics- that Wells had gone out to Finn’s car to check on him and found him not breathing. That must have been about an hour after he had driven Monty home. The article that’s been circulating around their friend group says it’s being treated as suspicious circumstances. 

 

**Murphy**

_ tf do you need my help with _

_ are you solving this murder _

_ or did you do it _

_ you need help covering it up don’t you _

 

A few minutes pass before he receives a reply. Monty starts and stops typing several times.

 

**Monty**

_ I did not kill finn  _

_ unfortunately some people think i did _

_ the police want to talk to me _

 

**Murphy**

_ what the fuck omg  _

_ this town is tiny you’d think they’d know you _

_ look at you _

_ ofc you didn’t kill anyone _

 

**Monty**

_ well a police car just pulled up outside so i’ll let you know what they think _

_ thanks though _

_ ugh i’m supposed to be helping jasper later _

 

**Murphy**

_??? _

_ I’m coming over _

 

He grabs a hoodie and heads down to the kitchen. “I’m going to Monty’s,” he calls to Indra as he takes a handful of biscuits.

 

“You talked to him?” She raises an eyebrow, looking pleased but a little sceptical.

 

“There’s a whole thing. Back later.”

 

“John. I read about Finn.”

 

“That’s why I have to go! Monty’s in the shit. He was in the car like an hour before they found him.”

 

She just sighs, knowing better than to stop him. “Just don't do anything stupid.”

 

“Mhm,” and he’s out of the door and driving to Monty’s. 

 

Just as Monty had said, there’s a police car parked outside. Murphy knocks at the door. It’s probably not the best idea to walk in on a police interrogation with his current record, but he hasn’t technically done anything wrong yet. 

 

A woman who must be Monty’s mom opens the door. Her hair is in a loose ponytail, and she looks sad. “John Murphy,” she says, not sounding all that surprised. He supposes Monty’s told her most of the story. “You may as well come in. You’re part of the story, I gather.”

 

“Thanks,” Murphy says, nosiness taking over as he looks around Monty’s house. It’s messier than he would have expected.

 

Monty is at the kitchen table with two people in uniform. One of them is Marcus Kane, the other an irritable looking man that Murphy doesn’t know. “Hey, Murphy,” Monty says, looking downcast. The detectives exchange a look.

 

“Hi,” Murphy says, then “Officers. Nice weather we’re having.”

 

Kane looks like he might be hiding a smile. The other man clenches his jaw.

 

The angry man sighs. “Your friend here is the last known person to see Finn alive. There are some interesting parts to this story. Including you, apparently.”

 

“I got out of the car because he was upsetting me and I felt sick,” Monty says. The way he drones it makes it sounds like he’s been saying it all morning.

 

“Do you actually think he did anything?” Murphy snorts. “Jesus.”

 

“Murphy,” Kane sighs.

 

“It’s ridiculous! He was throwing up in the street.”

 

“You’re confirming that?” The angry man writes something down.

 

“Finn died of carbon monoxide poisoning. There were fumes in his car. That’s what made Monty sick.” Kane says, probably for his benefit.

 

“Fuck, you okay?” Murphy glances at Monty who shrugs.

 

“Monty had low-level poisoning. He was fine as soon as he got out of the car.” Murphy feels an unexpected wave of relief at Kane’s words. 

 

“What we’re interested in is the fact that Monty got out of the car at the exact right moment to save himself, but left Finn in there. Apparently, the conversation was upsetting. And Monty freely admits that he didn’t like Finn.” Okay, he really does not like this other guy.

 

“No one liked Finn,” Murphy says bluntly. Monty splutters, and Kane raises his eyebrows. Monty’s mother looks a little scandalised. “If you want a list of suspects, Monty’s probably pretty far down it.”

 

“This is just informal questioning,” Kane says gently. “We just want to know what happened last night. In your words.”

 

“I think we’re done,” Monty’s mom says firmly. “He’s told you everything, and John is backing it up.”

 

“Thank you, Hannah.” Kane smiles at her. “We’ll let you know if we need anything further. Monty, don’t forget to see your doctor to be on the safe side.”

 

“Goodbye,” Hannah says. She’s still smiling, but there’s an edge to it that says ‘get out of my house’. Murphy likes her.

 

They let themselves out whilst Murphy hovers awkwardly in the dining room. Monty stares at his hands. “Thanks for coming,” he says. “I think they were gonna go to yours next anyway.”

 

“Whatever. Arkadia’s police suck. I’m not gonna lie and throw you to the wolves.”

 

“It’s appreciated, regardless,” says Hannah. Murphy hadn’t noticed before, but she seems to be in her pyjamas. 

 

“Do they actually think you did it?” Murphy asks, taking a seat opposite him. “As in, they looked at your face and didn’t immediately realise that you’ve never done anything wrong in your life?”

 

“Haha,” Monty says sarcastically, though he’s smiling a bit. “I’m not quite that free of sin.”

 

“I’m not listening,” Hannah says, smiling as she leaves them in the room. He can hear her going upstairs.

 

“They asked me a bunch about my knowledge of cars. I guess they’re trying to figure out if I would have known how to do it.”

 

“Do you?”

 

“Of course. That doesn’t mean I would.”

 

Murphy laughs at his confidence. “Sure. Well, I believe you.”

 

“That’s cool,” Monty says, nodding a little. “I’m supposed to go meet Jasper and help him pack his car.” His face falls. “It’s basically just us staying in town.”

 

“Emori’s around,” he says, and doesn’t miss the weird expression that flickers across Monty’s face. Does he know something? “Octavia too.”

 

“I know,” Monty says. “It’s not the same.”

 

“Yeah, you and Jasper are pretty tight, huh?”

 

Monty grins. “We always thought we’d be soulmates when we were little. We actually wrote our names in sharpie on each other’s arms.”

 

“Damn.”

 

“I’ve known him forever. But we were wrong about the soulmate thing. He got Maya, and I-” Monty stops himself.

 

“Who is your soulmate, anyway?” Murphy asks. “I’m guessing not a name you know.”

 

Monty stands and grabs a small bag from the chair next to him, dropping his phone into it. “You’re guessing wrong,” he says flatly. “I know him.”

 

“You hide it around me. I haven’t seen you with short sleeves since before your birthday.”

 

Monty shakes his head. He’s smiling, but he looks upset. “It should really be obvious why.”

 

“Are you saying-” Murphy tries to figure out what words to use.

 

“You don’t need to look so guilty. You’ve got Emori, and she’ll have you. Definitely. It was dumb to hope for it to work out anyway. We wouldn’t make any sense.”

 

Oh. Murphy had been thinking that anyway, but it stings to hear it come from Monty. This would be the perfect time to come forward about the truth for any normal person. But if Monty thinks it won’t work, then they’re in agreement. “Yeah,” he says. “Sorry.”

 

“You didn’t do anything,” Monty says tiredly. “I shouldn’t have told you that. Can we forget I said anything?”

 

“Sure,” Murphy says quietly.

 

“You’ll still help me?” Monty asks. “With this whole business where I’m a murder suspect.”

 

“Yeah. If you actually need it.”

 

“Thanks.” Monty looks a bit hopeless. “I should go. Jasper’s waiting.”

 

Murphy steps out after him and watches Monty walk down the street. God, he’s a screw up. He has a match, and he’s spent his life being suck a dick that his soulmate is convinced it would never work. He’s probably right.

 

It’s when he takes his phone out to check the time that he’s reminded of the other huge screw-up he’s made.

 

**Emori**

_ So why are people texting me about us being soulmates? _

_ Because I seem to remember I’m not your soulmate _

_???? _

 

**Murphy**

_ V sorry _

_ things are going to shit with monty rn _

 

**Emori**

_ so you’re expecting me to lie and say you love me so you don’t have to face up to your feelings _

 

**Murphy**

_ yeah pretty much can you do that? _

_ also i do love you _

 

**Emori**

_ i will go along with this for a week if people ask me _

_ Only bc people are moving today and finn is dead so i’m not starting any more drama _

_ After that you’re on your own bucko _

_ Still pissed btw _

 

**Murphy**

_ Thanks _

_ so _

_ What’s up? _

 

**Emori**

_ Yeah i don’t actually want to talk to you right now _

 

Murphy groans and puts his phone away. If he ever has a good thing going that he doesn’t ruin, there’ll probably be a parade. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> gay
> 
> i'm on tumblr at ghostmontygreen!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which goodbyes are said, the case becomes clearer, it's not exactly flirting but it's something, and the author reassures you that this chapter might be slow but stuff is coming

 

“I can’t believe you were  _ poisoned!” _ Jasper shrieks, wringing his hands. He’s just given Monty a bone-crushing hug, and now he’s having some kind of meltdown. “You could have died!” They’ve been texting back and forth all morning, but in person Jasper seems to have a lot more to say.

 

“It’s a doozy,” Monty agrees. “But here I am. How’s Raven?” Finn and Raven had been broken up for a year after the disastrous summer that had nearly ended with Finn in prison and Wells dead. Thank god for lawyers and doctors.

 

“Eh,” Jasper shrugs. “She’s still heading off today, so I guess she’s alright. Or she will be. It was  _ bad _ last night, though. I think we should keep checking in on her.” 

 

Maybe she just wants to be out of here, Monty thinks, but he doesn’t say that, though he makes a note to call Raven when he can. He just picks up another box and heaves it into the back of Jasper’s parents car. He hasn’t told Jasper that he spent the morning getting grilled by the cops, because he has a sneaking suspicion that Jasper won’t leave town if he knows that Monty has got himself wrapped up in a murder inquiry. Besides, they don’t actually think he did it- at least not yet. Kane had reassured him that it was only a matter of establishing a timeline. He had been very kind as Monty explained that his soulmate wasn’t matched to him, and didn’t ask for the name. Shumway had just watched him silently unless he was pressing for details. Maybe he is a suspect after all.

 

“How are you feeling?” Monty jiggles the box to be sure nothing will fall out. “My boy, about to make it in the big city!”

 

“I’m excited. Absolutely shitting my pants, but excited.”

 

“It’ll be awesome,” Monty tells him. “And I’m always right.”

 

“Always,” Jasper agrees, looking melancholy. “Anyway! Murphy drove you home last night?”

 

“Yeah. He was nice, actually. His car is a deathtrap.”

 

“Unsurprising. The car part, I mean.”

 

“He knows. That I’m matched with him. We agreed we wouldn’t work.”

 

“Monty!” Jasper groans. “Did you even try?”

 

“No! He has Emori, it’s weird, and I’m not a homewrecker. The strange part is that I think we’re kind of getting on now.” He holds up his phone. There are a few texts from Murphy on the screen.

 

**Murphy**

_ text miller and tell him he’s a dick _

_ he rly just punched me in the arm and drove off to another city _

_ not even a goodbye! _

_ if it comes from u he’ll feel bad _

 

Jasper grins. “That’s such a weird sight. Text him back! Make it funny.”

 

“Stop trying to make this happen,” Monty groans, but opens the conversation.

 

**Monty**

_ wow that’s so tragic :( _

_ Need me to kill him too? _

 

**Murphy**

_ holy shit lmao _

_ monty green: secret psychopath _

 

**Monty**

_ my dark side exposed _

 

“This isn’t exactly what I meant,” Jasper frowns. “You’re terrible at this.”

 

“Imagine what I’ll do when you’re out of town!” Monty tells him. The creeping sense of accepting that Jasper is about to leave him is growing. He’s known for a while that he would stay in town with his mom whilst Jasper left, but now they’re standing here with a car full of boxes and he’s suddenly completely unprepared. 

 

Jasper must see his face fall because he steps forward and puts his arms around Monty, gentler than last time. “I’ll visit all the time,” he promises. “And we can text every day.”

 

“It’s not the same,” Monty whispers, feeling tears sting his eyes. 

 

Jasper just rubs his back. It might be because he’s trying not to cry too. “You’re still my best friend,” he says eventually. “I’m not gonna replace you.” 

 

“Yeah, you better not.” Monty says, wiping his eyes. “I think maybe you have to be on the road soon.”

 

Jasper checks the time and sighs. “I do. I’ll text you when I get there. Don’t do anything dumb.”

 

Then he hops in the car because they had agreed on not doing heartfelt goodbyes, and then he’s just a dot on the horizon.

 

Monty sits down on the low wall outside Jasper’s house, trying to ignore the aching gap in his chest. He has no idea what to do for the rest of the day. Hanging out with Jasper is normally his first port of call, and sitting around at home won’t take his mind off anything. Octavia has gone with Bellamy to help him move in, and he doesn’t really know Emori. 

 

Sitting around at home it is.

 

\--

 

“Back already?” His mom pokes her head out from the living room. “I thought you’d be gone a few hours.”

 

“Jasper had to go pretty quickly,” Monty says softly, dropping his bag onto the chair. “This morning wasted a lot of time.”

 

Her face darkens. “Shumway was completely inappropriate with you. Hopefully that was the end of it.”

 

“Hopefully. I thought you went back to bed?” 

 

“I thought you might need me up when you got back. You’ve had a rough couple of months.” 

 

He smiles at her, swallowing back his sadness. His mom has never really gotten over losing his dad. She sleeps late most days and forgets to do chores. He doesn’t mind. She still looks after him as best she can, stands up for him when he needs it, keeps a handle on the most important things. He doesn’t know how he’d cope if his soulmate got gunned down at the gas station either. Though that really is a whole different scenario for him.

 

“What’s on TV?” Monty asks. He kind of wants to be on his own, but he always enjoys watching terrible films or sitcoms with his mom.

 

She turns on their TV and they settle down with a bunch of back-to-back episodes of Brooklyn Nine-Nine. For a few hours, he loses himself in Halloween specials and Jake and Amy pretending that their soulmate bond is definitely platonic and not romantic, even though they’re clearly already in love. Soulmate bonds aren’t usually platonic. But they’re also usually mutual, so he should probably stop judging by what’s normal.

 

Eventually, people start checking in on the groupchat, saying they’re settled into their new dorms.

 

**jasper (sunglasses emoji)(explosion emoji)**

_ I am heeereeee _

_ my parents have gone i am alone in the world _

 

**bellamy (old man emoji)**

_ Octavia is on her way back with No Supervision. Arkadia, be ready. _

 

**clarke (crown emoji)(artist emoji)**

_ p sure my mom is shading me about fuckin medicine again _

_ but she has no power anymore  _

 

The texts keep beeping in, increasingly excited or nervous in tone. He and Murphy are both dead silent. So is Raven, presumably because of Finn. The group is in shock, of course, but Finn was never really friends with them for the most part and at this point he was more a distant acquaintance who most of them disliked. For Raven, he was ex-family. He can’t imagine the kind of feelings going through her head right now. The fact that she’s still left for college is a little insane.

 

Monty really doesn’t want to start making them feel bad for him on their first day, so he DMs Murphy.

 

**Monty**

_ well this sucks _

 

**Murphy**

_ watch them all forget their promises to text every day _

_ don’t expect us to become best buddies now _

_ I’m just helping with the murder bullshit _

 

**Monty**

_ I know _

_ thanks  _

 

It’s not like Monty  _ wants _ to be friends with Murphy. Murphy put a worm in his math book when they were eight. It just feels kind of wrong to not get on with your soulmate at all, even if it’s not mutual. The universe says Murphy is supposed to be part of his life, and he may as well listen to that because he doesn’t have any better ideas. 

 

“Mom?” Monty asks, not moving his head to look at her. “Do you think you could ever have loved someone other than Dad?”

 

“Oh, Monty,” she says, and her voice is so soft and sympathetic. “You’re not having an easy time of it, sweetheart.”

 

“I hate the soulmate system,” Monty tells her, and he’s never thought about it before but he finds that he means it. “It’s bullshit. The idea that there’s  _ one  _ person for you out there and you’re not complete unless they’re part of your life? What if they’re not a good person? What if you don’t match? What if they die?”

 

His mom flinches and he hates it even more. The universe has told her that she was meant to be with his dad and no one else, that they’re two halves of a whole, that they could never love anyone else, and then gone and ripped him away from her. She can’t move on or even be who she was before him. 

 

He softens a little, finishing weakly. “I just think it’s a bad system.” 

 

“I don’t like it much either,” she says. “But I never would have given your dad the time of day without it. And I’m glad I did. Because I got to know him, and now I have you.”

 

“What if I get arrested for murder?”

 

“Monty, I will not let that happen.”

 

“I want to know who did it,” Monty says quietly. “Finn used to be my friend. And now they think it was  _ me. _ ”

 

“Monty, binge watching Elementary in the middle of the night does not qualify you to solve an actual murder. And yes, I knew you were doing that.”

 

He’s about to argue that he’s learnt a lot from that show, and also that she’s not answering his point about being a suspect, but his phone cuts him off with a cheerful ping.

 

**Murphy**

_ ok listen this is wack af _

_ they found party balloons in the car _

_ they think they were filled with CO and deflated _

 

**Monty**

_ oh boy _

_ someone planned that way in advance then _

_ wait how tf do you know this _

 

**Murphy**

_ chill it got leaked to the news i don’t just break into police stations  _

_ jesus _

 

**Monty**

_ sorry  _

_ i didn’t actually say that though _

 

**Murphy**

_ whatever  _

_ you thought it _

_ look i thought i was just your alibi and job done but turns out you could have deflated a balloon or whatever at any time _

 

**Monty**

_ are you saying you think i did it now? _

 

**Murphy**

_ fucks sake no ofc not _

_ just that you’re not legally in the clear _

_ and i already said i’d help so :/ _

 

**Monty**

_ So….? _

**Murphy**

_ so get ready bc i’m bored and we’re going back to the house before jaha gets back from some insanely long drive to some up its ass college in a city with actual interesting people _

_ i’m driving over now _

 

**Monty**

_ um ok i’ll be ready _

_ wait don’t text and drive!!! _

 

**Murphy**

_ i’m still parked cool your jets for like 5 seconds _

 

Monty looks up, still trying to process the weirdness of the conversation he’s just had. “Um, I’m going out for a bit.”

 

She frowns. “On your own? Or is Octavia back?”

 

He smiles a little awkwardly. “Murphy actually,” he says. “I, uh, think he feels bad and stuff. So we’re gonna get burgers.” It’s a complete lie. Murphy feels awkward at worst, and they’re definitely not getting burgers. 

 

“Okay,” she says, and she looks more concerned about how wise this plan is than how dubious the whole thing sounds. “Is he coming here?”

 

“Just to meet me,” Monty tells her. “We’ll go straight to lunch, but he has a car and stuff.”

 

She seems satisfied with that, and Monty doesn’t dig himself any deeper into this hole. When Murphy honks his car horn a few times in the street (and once he’s nearly recovered from the small heart attack it gives him) he says goodbye and hurries out into the street, wondering how everything can change so fast so quickly.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahhh, not sure if i like this chapter??? the story will pick up in pace very soon, and we'll see if i can actually do slow burn (some of you may know my track record with this). as always, find me on tumblr @ghostmontygreen and please leave comments and/or kudos if you're enjoying it!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Monty and Murphy go looking for clues, share some burdens, and Murphy considers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm back! been busy with holidaying and gritting my teeth through the Obligatory Relatives Visit, but here's chapter 5! chapter 6 is also underway, but as I have some exams mid-January, I'm not sure when it'll be out. This fic is not abandoned.

Monty looks deeply suspicious as he leaves his house and walks over to the car. It irritates Murphy a little, because he hasn’t suggested anything even slightly illegal and he’s only trying to help. It’s not like this is something he’s ever made a habit of, and he’s not planning to again. It’s just fun to prove how shit the Arkadia Police Department are at their jobs.

 

Monty slips into the passenger seat. “Hey,” he says. “What exactly are we looking for?”

 

“Dunno. Feels like a good place to start.”

 

“My mom’s gonna flip,” Monty tells him, picking at the foam in the seat. “She’s worried I think I’m Sherlock.”

 

“You  _ are  _ Sherlock,” Murphy replies, his tone making it sound maybe a little more unkind than he means it to. “Too smart for your own good and ambiguously gay with your best friend.”

 

“Jasper and I are  _ not  _ gay!” Monty splutters, a little pink. “Well, I am. But not with him.”

 

Murphy can’t really think of a reasonable response to that so he pulls the car out of the tiny spot he had squeezed it into and starts the journey towards Jaha’s house. Monty doesn’t push the conversation any further. There are gonna be a lot of awkward silences in this investigation, he thinks. Soulmates don’t have awkward silences.

 

“This house is completely ridonkulous,” Monty finally says, gazing out of the window at Jaha’s mansion as they arrive. “Who actually needs this much space? Two people live here.”

 

“It  _ is  _ fun to trash at parties,” Murphy quips, though he pretty much agrees. His home now may be a massive improvement on the shithole he lived in with his mother, but you could probably fit at least five of it inside this place. He parks the car on the opposite side of the street and climbs out, taking a moment to enjoy Monty struggling with the passenger door that always gets jammed. 

 

“This thing is barely functional,” Monty complains as he finally gets out. He seems a little embarrassed by it. “Why do you even still drive it? It’s gonna overtake Finn’s car on my list of ‘Cars I’ve nearly died in’.”

 

Murphy would probably have snickered a little at the joke if it hadn’t been a dig at his car as well. “It was my dad’s. And don’t think this is a sentimental thing, because I’d trash it in a second if I had another option.” That’s a bit of a lie. He doesn’t think he could bring himself to get rid of this car until it physically explodes, which frankly might happen any day.

 

“Keep it,” Monty says earnestly, which is how he says most things. “I think it’s awesome.”

 

Before Murphy can make a snarky comment about how he doesn’t take advice from Monty, Monty is heading across the street. The car is gone, but because of what happened, they’re not treating the rest of the street as a crime scene. There’s nothing to indicate that a murder took place there just yesterday. He wonders if the police are tearing their hair out with such a neatly committed crime, especially with almost everyone off to college. He knows that they hadn’t wanted to allow everyone to head off, but there’s nothing to cast any suspicion on any of them. He and Monty have been stuck with that burden.

 

Monty has gone over to the house and is scampering back and forth, standing by the huge windows for a second and then moving to stand in front of the door. He paces back and forth, frowning down the street whilst Murphy stares blankly at him and considers flipping him off.

 

When Monty is done doing whatever the hell it is he’s doing, he scurries back over. “I don’t get it,” he says, frowning.

 

Murphy motions for him to continue before he runs him over out of sheer boredom.

 

“Finn’s car was in plain view to anyone outside or by the door or windows. Who would go out there to kill him when it would be so easy to be spotted?”

 

“You, according to the police,” Murphy replies, enjoying the look of dismay on Monty’s face. “But actually, you’re being a dumbass.” This is his moment. “Obviously it didn’t happen at the party. No one would be stupid enough to do that. Finn must have got them from somewhere else and brought them to the party.”

 

“Oh,” Monty says, looking a little put out. “That makes more sense. Why didn’t I think of that?”

 

“I’m a genius,” Murphy deadpans. “And you did get poisoned yesterday.”

 

“Ugh, don’t remind me. My mom was so upset. Obviously.”

 

“Not that obvious to me,” Murphy says, wondering why he can’t just be nice to Monty for a few minutes without dragging his childhood traumas up. “My mom would have loved to see me poisoned.”

 

Monty looks uncomfortable. “I am sorry,” he says. “Indra’s fostering you, right? She’s cool.” There’s a moment of silence and then his eyes light up with a memory of some kind. “Wait. Your foster sister is Gaia?!”

 

“Um. Yes.”

 

“Gaia who started that crazy club where she chose kids that had to fight?”

 

"They didn't have to fight," Murphy points out, feeling obliged to defend his foster sister even though he wants to kick her in the shins most of the time. "She just sorta suggested it. It was Titus who got crazy about it."

 

"Oh yeah, I remember Titus!" Monty's eyes are bright. "He got kicked out and his family moved away, I think. Lucky."

 

"Lucky?"

 

Monty smiles dryly. "Does anyone actually want to live in this dead-end hellhole? I mean, seriously? What does this place have to offer?"

 

"I thought you liked it here," Murphy says quietly. "I mean, duh, it sucks. But aren't you supposed to be an annoyingly chirpy optimist or something?"

 

"No," Monty replies. "I hate it here. This town is a nightmare and I can't even leave for college. And everyone thinks I'm fine with that because I want to look after my mom."

 

"You do want to look after your mom," Murphy says, scratching at the flaking paint on his car's hood. "You told me that."

 

"Of course I do. I don't want her to be here alone. But I don't want to have to choose. I want my cool, shiny future with engineering degrees and a techy job. I can't get that at a shit community college." He sighs. "I don't know why I'm telling you all of this."

 

“You talk a lot,” Murphy tells him. “Looking for something to say is my bet.”

 

He's not lying. Monty likes to fill the silence, and there are a lot of awkward silences between them. He supposes it feels more awkward for Monty, who believes that he’s in the 1% of people who don’t have a mutual soulmate. That one must sting, but he can't imagine coming clean about lying is really going to help. He could only bring Monty a world more pain, and Monty has made it very clear that he doesn't see any kind of future with them. 

 

Monty is rarely wrong. 

 

He has a good gut instinct, Murphy can tell. He's more clear-headed than their other friends, except maybe Clarke, who is at times frighteningly pragmatic and cool in the face of a crisis. If he can see past the haze of soulmate tattoos and media bullshit to a doomed relationship of Murphy's grumpiness and habit of being a dick to people, he's probably right when he says it would never work. Besides, he wants to be with Emori. The tattoo has got it wrong. He loves her more than anyone, and he knows she loves him too. Being with her is the only thing that makes sense. However awkward it might be, one day he will escape this town, or more likely, Monty will, and they'll never have to see each other again. The name on his arm will be the only reminder of this brief crazy period. Once Monty's not being harassed by Arkadia's increasingly incompetent police force, there's no reason for him to bother with Murphy anymore.

 

He hasn’t missed much by getting caught up in that train of thought. Monty is pointedly not commenting on how much he talks, which is a smart move because his voice is starting to grate on Murphy’s nerves.

 

“Hey,” Monty says finally, giving up on his stubborn silence quite quickly. “Was this here before?” He’s peering at something on the sidewalk where Finn’s car had been parked the day before. When Murphy approaches, he sees that the sidewalk is a little chipped and there’s the scuff mark of a shoe in the crack.

 

“I haven’t made a habit of examining sidewalks outside the Jaha household,” Murphy points out, though he concedes and comes to crouch by him. “How should I know?”

 

“It might be a clue,” Monty says, and however tragic and stressful he’s finding Finn’s death, there’s a little glitter in his eye at the drama as he snaps a photo on his phone. “I don’t think there’s anything else here though. Back to the Mystery Machine?”

 

“You are not nicknaming my car,” Murphy tells him. “Especially not after the damn Scooby Doo van.”

 

“I always wanted a dog!” Monty says brightly, back up on his feet and bouncing over to the car. However cheerful he seems, there’s a weight on his shoulders that Murphy can see now. He’s not sure if it’s the weight of being trapped here or looking after his mother, or if it’s that his old friend has been murdered and he was the last to see him alive. 

 

All he can tell is that he looks like he needs help lifting it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for still reading this! i hope it's still compelling, and that you stick around for when shit gets real for these crazy kids
> 
> as always, tumblr: ghostmontygreen

**Author's Note:**

> yeesh
> 
> please comment and/or leave kudos to validate me bc uni is hard and i need to be successful at something! unless you hated it, in which case don't tell me that, i don't wanna know.
> 
> tumblr: ghostmontygreen


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